Force A Denial
by The Denominator
Summary: "You gotta be drunk and out of your mind right now." And it's Sei saying this to Yumi.


Summary: "You gotta be drunk and out of your mind right now." And it's Sei saying this to Yumi. Yuri.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maria-sama ga Miteru or any of its characters.

Rating: M for adult content, coarse language, sexual content and minor disturbing images.

Force A Denial by The Denominator.

Dedicated to Hone onna for being made out of awesome and win (thanking you for all the support.)

* * *

**Marching up that walk. **

_**It was time to get her home.**_

* * *

_  
There was not much Sei could say for herself. She hated those types of situations: trying to explain something to adults who never seemed to want to understand. It was as daunting as seeing a ghost ship out on the horizon. Although, she had thought that ghouls seemed to be less formidable opponents than the middle-aged. _

But you're an adult too, dummy. And technically, you aren't in that kind of situation as yet. You still have three more blocks to go.

_Yes. Three more blocks until she got to the Fukuzawa residence where she had to both deliver a very sick Yumi and a very good explanation. _

"_Yumi? You holding up okay?" Sei asked cautiously, looking into her rear-view mirror._

_She saw the girl slumped against the door and window of the backseat of her car. _

"_I want to puke…"_

_Sei sighed and pulled over. Before the car even sidled closer to the pavement to park properly, the door swung open and Sei watched as Yumi stuck her head out of the car to heave. Sei grumbled, put the car in Park, pulled up the emergency brake, and got out of the driver's seat. She went around the front, banging her hand against the bonnet in her haste, and rounded the car until she reached where Yumi had been sick._

_She carefully manoeuvred so that she was away from the mess, but close to Yumi. She stooped down, ignoring the acidic scent, and patted Yumi on the back, pulling strands of hair away from her face._

"_S'okay, kid," she said. "Get it all out."_

_In between groans, Yumi managed to say, "You shouldn't have let me, Sei."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_But it's more because of your lousy driving," Yumi joked, spitting into the road. _

"_You got time to be smart?" Sei asked, feeling a little bit happier than she was twenty minutes ago when she had to haul a drunken Yumi out of her room and into her car, "you can't be sick. Hey, where's your water?"_

_Yumi pointed to floor of the car. It had rolled under the front seat of the passenger's side. Sei left Yumi, left the girl's side—she did not want to, but she had to get the bottle—and opened the front door. And with great difficulty, she bent down, sticking her hand under the seat trying to get the water._

"_Ah, your mother's a cheap..." Sei muttered angrily._

_She could feel the semi-cool bottle within her grasp, near her fingers, but she could not push herself more than that. With an immense bit of effort—and contortion she knew she would find much better use for in a bedroom—she managed to touch the bottle. And push it further away._

"_Oh, hell."_

"_It's okay, Sei," came Yumi's voice, "it rolled over here."_

_Sei grumbled, but was at least grateful Yumi got the water. She got up, stretched and shut the door—slamming it, more like, as it shook a bit more than it normally should have—and went back to Yumi. Yumi had already opened the bottle, and was now gargling the water in her mouth. After a few seconds, she spit it out and took the bottle to her lips once more, but this time, to drink. _

"_You're beautiful like that, you know."_

"_Shut up," Yumi groaned. "I don't have time for your stupid jokes, Sei."_

Ah. But you are beautiful.

_Yumi spit into the street once more and Sei bit her lip to keep in her smile. _

* * *

_Yumi settled back into the backseat and waited until she heard Sei's door close and the engine turn over, before resting her head against the window. _

I want to die.

_It was the worst she had ever felt in her entire existence. She thought the universe must have had a sick sense of humour to encompass one of the best experiences of her life—for kissing Sei earlier, before she was drunk, was definitely going down in her books as a Great Thing to happen to her—with one of the worst. She had always hated throwing up. It was awful and it was painful. She had almost nothing in her stomach but air and acid to spew. She had never been punched before, but she likened the sensation to retching up nothing and making her belly feel sore. _

"_Looks like we're here," Sei said, and Yumi felt the car stop._

I wonder if Yoshino and Rei are okay…

_Yumi felt as though time was running differently for her. For she distinctly remembered—before closing her eyes—that she was in the backseat of Sei's car. But when she opened her eyes, she was on her front porch, with her arm around Sei who was trying to support her._

"_Where are your keys?" Sei asked. _

"_In my pocket…" Yumi said, feeling every word reverberate and hit her._

_She felt Sei digging around in her jeans. She saw Sei open her front door._

"_Okay. We'll have to get you up the stairs. Will you be okay?" Sei asked. "Let's get your shoes off, yeah?"_

_Yumi nodded. She heard Sei shut the door behind them._

"_Yumi?" came a voice._

"_Ah, looks like we're caught, Yumi," whispered Sei._

How did I get myself into this?

* * *

**Mixing up the times.**

_**An accidental meeting between two purposeful women.**_

* * *

_  
God damn it, why do I have to be the early one?_

Satou Sei was getting irritated with herself. She arrived at the club an hour too early than the scheduled meeting time. It had not occurred to her. She simply got dressed, jumped in her car and started to drive. It only hit her that she was quite early when she got to the club and checked her watch, and then compared it to a clock on the wall. She got the battery replaced for it only the day before.

_And I set the wrong effing time…great._

So she had made up her mind not to call the group she was supposed to meet. She would see them when she sees them. At least, she thought, there was something she could do. Entertain herself with either drinking, or making up life stories for some of the oddities she saw passing through the club, running back and forth from the bar to the dance floor.

_Let's see…you with the red shirt. I'm thinking…a twenty-five year old closeted fairy who would rather be in pink, but settled for red—a girl's colour, very nice…should have gone for blue or white, buddy, if you were trying to hide it. And you, with the low-cut front. Hmm…twenty-year-old college student trying her very hardest to get laid tonight, what with that being the fourth beer you've had since I got here. But you have quite impressive cleavage, so I am guessing by midnight, you would have found a Prince Charming who could fit himself into your pants. Oh! You Sir, the one with your arm around that quite springy little doe. Are you a father, keeping an eye on your daughter? You could very well be her father—your hairline's receding and your figure's not quite what it used to be like back in the day. But the way you grabbed her ass just now, I'm starting to doubt the possibility of a blood relationship. If that's the case, I say the mid-life crisis is taking a toll on you and you have to prove you still don't need to take a pill to give it to her good. _

Sei got a little tired of her game after a beer. She decided to look around. She still had half an hour before anyone else in her group would come. And then, Sei saw something and blinked. No, it couldn't be, she thought.

_Yeah right—it can't be them._

But as she watched the two young women at the door come closer inside, Sei realised that she was right. Fukuzawa Yumi and Shimazu Yoshino entered the bar, looking excited as anyone doing something that was most likely illegal would. Sei decided to entertain them. Or make them miserable. Either way, she would have a good laugh at the end. Sei grinned as she made her way across the semi-crowded room. From what she saw, Yoshino was dressed to do a little more in the club than just dancing.

_Came for some romancing, eh Shimazu?_

It made Sei glad that the girl had got that heart surgery those years ago. If Yoshino had not, she would probably still be stuck at home, going stir-crazy because she was confined to a personality that was not hers. And no matter that there were countless samurai novels out there to read and tons of kendo matches one could watch on TV, those could never quite compare to a night out on the town. If anything, Sei was happy for Shimazu Yoshino—she got to experience life, rather than read about it or look at it.

"Well look what Lillian spit out!" Sei called, getting their attention.

"Sei!" they both cried out.

"Aren't you two a sight for sore eyes?" Sei said happily.

"And aren't you a sore for eyesight," Yumi answered.

"I'll get you for that one," Sei responded, still smiling. "And if it isn't Yoshino who has not been rude to me as Miss Fukuzawa has—I thank you for that."

Yoshino grinned and flashed her a peace sign.

"What brings two very underage-to-drink ladies to a bar such as this?" Sei asked, lowering her voice as though they were sharing secrets.

"We're just having a girls' night out," Yoshino explained.

Sei looked around.

"Oh? And where's your bodyguard, Miss Shimazu?" she asked.

Yoshino visibly darkened.

"Rei's parking the car," Yumi said.

"She didn't have to come—I told her we'd be fine, but she wouldn't believe me," Yoshino complained. "I thought we actually agreed to let me be a little more independent, and it was going fine until I mentioned going clubbing."

Sei laughed.

"Oh, come on," Sei said, "it's Rei. You have to give her time before she could take a hint. And in all fairness, I wouldn't trust you near a bar as much as she would. Especially with that criminal, Fukuzawa Yumi, in tow."

Yumi grinned.

"And what point are you trying to make, Sei?" Yumi asked.

"That you _had _to be in prison, what with the no phone-calls I've been getting from you these days."

"Been busy," justified Yumi.

"With what?"

"I never said it was a 'what'."

"Oh? Then with who?" Sei asked, glad Yumi had picked up on the banter.

"Someone less troublesome than you," Yumi replied.

"Is that how you talk to an ex-Rosa?"

"In all fairness, I'm an ex-Rosa myself."

"Oh, but Gigantea always had more interesting people than Chinensis."

"But Gigantea also had more psychos than Chinensis too."

"Rei!" Yoshino called out.

It made Sei surprised just a little. She had almost forgotten, during her little playful tiff with Yumi, that Yoshino was there. Sei watched as Hasekura Rei, the only girl in the Yamayurikai taller than she was, come up to greet them.

"Sei, hello," Rei said, nodding.

"Hey there," Sei replied, "I was just watching over the little ones for you. How much you getting paid for baby-sitting? If it's good pay, tell me; I could do with some part-timing."

Sei grinned as Yumi and Yoshino made impudent faces at her.

"Well, you can all stay here and make fun, but I am going to dance," announced Yoshino, heading off to the dance floor.

"Y-Yoshino!" Rei said, following her.

Yumi was about to follow when Sei grabbed her arm.

"Nope, you're coming with me," Sei said, leading her back to the bar.

"S-Sei!"

"I want to get a good look at you, Yumi. It's been a while."

Sei waited until they got back to the bar and allowed Yumi to hop on a barstool before sliding onto one herself. She was about to order drinks for them when Yumi objected.

"I'll just have a soda," Yumi said.

Sei ordered two sodas. While they drank, Sei taking a large gulp while Yumi sipped hers gingerly, Sei did exactly as she said she would have done. She took a good look at Yumi. While she was not as insinuatingly dressed as Yoshino, she looked very nice. And she had grown just a little.

_Though, not by much. Still as flat as ever. _

Sei decided then that maybe Yumi had not grown at all, but just looked a little more world-worn than she did the last time she saw her.

"So, how are things, Sei?" Yumi asked.

"Could be better," Sei answered.

_Truth._

"You came here by yourself?"

"Waiting for some bloody classmates to drag their asses here."

_Truth._

"Oh," Yumi laughed, "I thought maybe you had a date."

"Why would I be on a date by myself?"

"I don't know. It was stupid of me…" Yumi mumbled.

"Tell me."

"I thought…I thought maybe someone stood you up."

"Me? Who'd ever want to miss a chance with a date with me?" Sei asked light-heartedly.

"That's why I thought it was stupid."

"Girls love me, Yumi, didn't you know?"

_Lie. _

"Is that so?" Yumi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Heartfelt truth."

_Lie._

"But…" Yumi continued, glancing at Sei before looking at her glass, "I'm glad I met you tonight."

"Really?"

"I've been missing you a little."

"I haven't missed those big ears at all."

_Fucking lie. _

Yumi reddened and touched an ear protectively before saying, "Well, please excuse my genetics, then."

Sei sighed and then said, ignoring the funny feeling in her stomach, "Ah, but they're cute."

* * *

_Cute? _Yumi thought, a little bitterly as she drank down what was left of her soda, _That's how I still look to her? Cute…_

Fukuzawa Yumi thought when she had entered the club, when she had seen Sei, when she began speaking with her, that she had outgrown that childish image she had in Lillian. She did not want Sei to look at her like a kid. She was an adult—by law, at least—and she wanted, no _needed _Satou Sei to stop treating her like girl and start realising that she was a woman.

"So," Sei asked, "why are you here?"

Yumi made a face.

"Yoshino practically threatened me at shinai point to come with her," Yumi explained. "She thought if I was with her, Rei would back off. But Rei's sort of stubborn when it comes to her. And Yoshino didn't really want to ask Shimako to come with her. She didn't think she would be very happy in a place like this."

"Well, Buddhism and Catholicism are deadly combinations. Being _twice_ more religious than normal people kind of turns the holy water rain on over your sinful heathen parade," Sei said, grinning. "So if that's the case, then I take it that dancing in this club has no appeal to you?"

"Not here. And not quite like _that_."

_Truth. _

"And the fine collection of alcoholic beverages here does nothing for you either?"

"Nope," Yumi answered.

_Truth._

"And you didn't come here to hook up?"

"No way!" Yumi nearly shouted.

_Not so much the truth._

It was true that she did not really come with the aim to score a future date for herself, but it was in the back of Yumi's mind that _if _someone came up to her, a someone with _similar _interests, she would not be so totally opposed to indulging them for at _least_ one date. After all, it got lonely sometimes—a whole lot—and that particular ten percent of the Japanese population seemed to have been avoiding her like the plague for most of her life.

What also was not-so-true was Yumi's response of 'No way!' Yumi immediately, upon seeing Sei, had all those old—but not dead or forgotten; no, not ever those two—feelings for her friend resurface. It got her blood going a little more than it should have. Normally, when she thought of Sei, she thought of something sweet, something tender. The _real_ truth at the moment was that Yumi wanted Sei to carry her somewhere and have her way with her, as silly and perverse as it sounded. It was not an all-too-shocking thought for her. There were some—a whole lot of—times Yumi wanted Sei to take her. But what was it that Satou Sei really wanted? A woman who she thought was beautiful? Surely. It had to be that. Sei could not possibly want a _girl_ who she thought was _cute. _

Yumi did not like her body as of late for those two reasons. One, _being in need_ and two, _being cute. _The latter had haunted more than the former. The latter was the reason why she could not bring herself to say to Sei 'I love you.' not even back in that classroom when she had given Sei a going-away gift. And not now. Not when she was sure if she breathed those words to Sei, she would be met with a blank stare and maybe some empty laughter and 'Ah, Yumi, you're so cute.'

"If there's nothing here for you, you want to leave with me, then?" Sei asked suddenly. "Go somewhere. Just the two of us."

"I don't," Yumi answered, sighing at another one of those sort of jokes Sei liked making around her. "I wouldn't want to risk it."

_A bit of both a lie and the truth._

"I'm not kidding around, Yumi. I want to go somewhere else. And I'd really like it if you came along with me."

Yumi stared at the counter. How many times had she dreamt up situations such as that, where a wonderful woman would just sweep in and carry her off, off and away, off and away to somewhere better? Maybe even take her for a drive somewhere nice, like the beach…

_What am I looking for? A real-life woman or Tenoh Haruka?_

Yumi looked at her real-life woman. Sei was returning her gaze, that rare serious expression on her face.

"Why?" Yumi asked.

"Sometimes things don't need a reason. Let this be one of them. How about it?"

Yumi nodded. Sei grinned.

"Okay," Sei said, getting up. "Let me just go somewhere quiet to call and tell those goons that I'm standing them up, okay?"

"Okay."

Yumi figured she would have to tell Rei and Yoshino that she would not be needing a ride back, after all. She got off her stool and headed over to the dance floor, hoping to high heaven that she would not have to push her way through anyone in the crowd. Luckily for her, she found Yoshino sitting at a table.

"Hey," Yoshino said, as Yumi took a seat next to her.

"Where's Rei?"

"Went to get me something to drink. Apparently I would shrivel up and die if I'm not constantly hydrated," Yoshino said, pouting.

Yumi bit her lip.

"Hey, Yoshino?"

"Yeah?"

"I won't be going home with you and Rei."

Yoshino's eyes lit up.

"Way to go, Yumi!" she said so enthusiastically, that Yumi was surprised Yoshino had not given her a high-five, slapped her on the back and poured beer over her head. "Victory for Fukuzawa!"

"It's just Sei I'm leaving with," Yumi said, trying to kill both her and Yoshino's hopes in one go.

This did not seem to put a damper on the other girl's mood, though. If anything, Yoshino seemed a little more excited.

"Sei?"

Yumi nodded.

"Thank God!" Yoshino exclaimed, clasping her hands together and shaking them upwards, as though she were praising the Lord. "FINALLY."

"Uh, finally what?" Yumi asked.

Yoshino grinned at her before going on, "That you two finally get the damn point."

"And what exactly has Rei gone to get you to drink?" Yumi asked, "because you need to lay off the booze, Yoshino. You're making no sense."

Yoshino laughed sarcastically.

"Ha, ha, Yumi. But if you won't thank Maria-sama, I will. You two were the worst in high school, you know that? Especially Sei. I never really thought she would be one to force a denial that big on herself…"

Yumi shook her head.

"Tell Rei that I said 'thanks and goodbye'," Yumi said, getting up.

"Rei'd be the one thanking _you_. With you not around, she'll have a field day with me. I might as well cuff myself to the seat right now. You owe me big time, Yumi, for letting you get away."

With that, Yumi said her goodbyes to Yoshino and headed back to where she was sitting with Sei.

_Yoshino couldn't have meant…no way. _

As Yumi sat looking at the stool that Sei was on, someone came and filled up the empty space. It was a guy.

"Hey there," he said, smiling amiably at Yumi.

* * *

**Messing up a date.**

_**Not a problem in the slightest.**_

* * *

"Hey. So what's your name?" Sei heard the guy say.

_I've only been gone like three seconds and already…_

Sei had excused herself to the ladies' room where she assumed it would be quiet to make a phone call to tell Katou Kei and the others that she was not going to meet them after all. What Sei forgot to anticipate was the line to get into the washroom. Of course. All lines to a woman's lavatory in any establishment were longer than the Great Wall. She managed to forward a few texts—not her choice, she would rather call—and cancel. She got back one from Kei saying that it was all right and another from a girl she had made friends with through Kei, complaining that Sei was the life of the party and she would miss her presence. Sei looked at the man speaking to Yumi and resisted the urge to walk up behind him and clout the back of his head. Sei shook her head when she heard Yumi actually answer him.

"How do you write that?" the man asked, pulling out a pen and pulling one the napkins on the counter closer to him.

_You should not have done that._

Sei grinned, and walked up behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around.

"Yeah?"

"You have some business with my friend?" Sei asked him.

"I was speaking to the lady about her namesake," he replied, shooting Yumi a pleasant smile. "Now, if you will excuse me…yes, Fukuzawa, was it? How do you write it?"

Before a visibly flustered Yumi could react, Sei reached out and took both the napkin and pen from the man. She then began to write, explaining the kanji as she drew.

"Fukuzawa Yumi. That's b-a-c-k the f-u-c-k off."

"Hey," the man said, shooting Sei a nasty look, "I was just trying to get her number."

"Sorry, but the swing on her phone tree doesn't swing your way. Anything else?" Sei asked.

"No. Thanks," the guy said icily, sliding off the barstool, walking off and muttering, "fucking dykes all over the place…"

When he was gone, Sei took a seat.

"Sei…"

She looked at Yumi who was watching her with an awed expression.

"That was…that was…" Yumi stuttered, "totally amazing! I was trying to get rid of him."

"Ah, it was nothing," Sei said, though secretly was proud of herself. "When you get to be in university as long as I have, creeps pop out of everywhere. You just gotta know how to handle them. But hey, let's leave this crappy place now, yeah? No more creepy guys."

"So what are you, then?"

"I do not appreciate that," Sei said, grinning.

* * *

"Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you hostage," Sei answered, starting the car.

"No, really. Tell me," Yumi urged, buckling her seatbelt.

"I haven't shown you my dorm room in Lillian yet, have I?"

"No."

"You sure?"

Yumi made a face.

"I think I would remember."

"Then I'm taking you there," Sei said assuredly.

"I thought you were 'taking me hostage'?" Yumi asked.

"I'm taking you on a mini-date."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

* * *

**Moving up and out.**

_**Getting away from a public limelight and getting caught in a private one.**_

* * *

"My dorm room," Sei announced, opening the door, "and…my roommate. Hey."

Sei watched the girl smile at them.

"Hello, Satou," she said. "Who's that? Your kid sister?"

Sei blinked.

"Sort of. This is Yumi. Went to Lillian Academy with me. She was the one Ogasawara Sachiko took to be her petite soeur—well, 'little sister'," Sei explained, "and Sachiko was part of the student council with me, so I guess it makes us like a big unrelated family."

"Oh, Ogasawara? Yeah, yeah, that loaded second year girl! Well, you show your little sis around, I'm off," she said, grabbing her purse.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yup, got a date."

"This late?" Sei asked.

"Well, actually I just stopped here to get some things. Won't be back until morning Satou. Try not to miss me too much."

"I won't have to try."

The roommate sighed and addressed Yumi, "See how mean she is?"

"Bye," Sei said, making way for her to pass.

"Your 'little sister', huh?" Yumi asked from behind her.

Sei grimaced.

"I had to!" Sei reasoned. "It would look weird if I was just bringing people over just for nothing."

"I thought you were bringing me here _just for nothing _in the first place?" Yumi asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't be like that," Sei said. "Now come on in."

She let Yumi enter the room before shutting the door.

"Here, sit," Sei said, moving some books off her bed and onto the desk. "You want something to drink? I got some sake hiding around here."

"I thought you aren't allowed to keep alco—"

"That's why I said 'hiding'," Sei said, grinning.

"Uh, maybe later."

Sei took a seat next to Yumi.

"I brought you here and I thought maybe we could share some quality booze in the safety of my room…and you decline. What's left to do?"

"Talk?" Yumi suggested.

"Nah, you better strip."

"I won't," Yumi said, moving more into the bed so that she leaned against the wall and her legs stretched out over the mattress.

Sei followed her and did the same, noticing momentarily that her legs managed—even while sitting up—to dangle a little off the bed by the ankle while Yumi's toes hardly reached the end.

_Still short, huh?_

Sei did not bother to voice this opinion since Yumi was so touchy about her body lately.

_Really, one honest comment about those ears…_

"So."

"Yeah?" Sei asked.

"Does that roommate of yours know that you…does she know about…"

"That I like lily-flavoured pocky?" Sei asked, winking.

Yumi snorted a little, before shoving Sei lightly on the arm.

"That wasn't even funny."

"Yeah, that's why you made that little piggy noise just now," Sei countered.

"But does she know?"

"Yeah. Maybe. Nah."

"Those aren't answers."

"Well, I'm not sure. But I noticed she hasn't started sleeping with bear traps around her bed, so I'll take that as a 'No. I don't think she knows'."

"What if you brought a woman here?"

Sei herself nearly snorted.

_You even ask me if I got any girls to bring over, Yumi?_

"No," Sei responded, "that's not even a scenario I've thought up. My roommate and I have an unspoken understanding about guys. But she probably thinks I'm the same as her. So she must have thought 'Satou doesn't bring men here, I guess I should do the same'. I wouldn't care. She could bring as many guys here as she wants. Once I'm not here, that is. But me, I wouldn't really want to bring a woman here."

Yumi huffed.

"So what am I, then?" Yumi asked, apparently irritated.

"You didn't hear? My little sister," said Sei reaching out to ruffle Yumi's hair, but Yumi pulled away from her.

"Don't say that," Yumi said.

"Why?"

"Despite it all, I was never your petite soeur. And I won't ever be, rosary or not."

_Well now, are we finally on the same page?_

"Okay I won't say that again," Sei agreed.

"So…back to what we were talking about…what if you had a girlfriend? You wouldn't bring her here?"

"Why'd I want _a_ girlfriend? I want several! I want a girl for every day of the week."

"You don't want a steady relationship?" Yumi pressed.

"Steady?" Sei laughed.

"What's so funny about that?"

"Someone wise once said: treat women like the alcohol in a pub—pay for your shots, but never try to buy the bar."

Yumi groused, "That person's an idiot."

"But _right—_they were right," Sei reasoned. "Why do something dumb like getting yourself tied down when you can run free and have as much as you can get?"

"Because you're not going to get anything of value. And free? Yeah. Free and lonely and miserable," Yumi disputed. "Since when did you start thinking this way?"

"I haven't; I'm just quoting people," Sei said defensively, holding up her hands to surrender, "why are you so mad at me? Don't you think it's clever?"

"I'm mad because you're a good person."

"Really now?"

"And you're saying crappy things I know you don't believe."

"Maybe."

"So you shouldn't do that, Sei."

"Why not?"

"I don't want any of your future girlfriends to get stuck with a jerk."

"I won't be a jerk to you, Yumi."

At that, Yumi got silent. Sei tried to ignore that her heart suddenly started pounding harder.

_Shut up—you want her to hear you?_ she asked it.

"What…what did I tell you about saying things like that?" Yumi finally asked, very quietly. "About saying things you don't mean?"

"I mean it," Sei said sombrely.

"What are you getting at?"

She decided it would be better to show her than explain it. Sei leaned closer to Yumi. The younger woman's eyes looked panicked, and she got a little paler.

"Don't," Yumi said quickly, getting off the bed.

Sei did not think she was a very fast person, but she even managed to surprise herself with the speed she followed Yumi with. Yumi was at the edge of her bed, and Sei got off, grabbed her arm and held it.

"Yumi."

"Sei, you shouldn't…" Yumi whispered, pulling away from Sei and stepping back until she hit the wall.

"Yumi."

"It's best if I just go now," Yumi said, glancing at the door.

Sei closed the space between them, pressing her hands on the wall on either sides of Yumi, caging Yumi in with her body.

"No," Sei said. "You said you wanted to talk. So…you're going to talk to me. No running."

"I wasn't running."

"Where were you going then?"

"Away from you—you were trying to do stupid stuff on the bed," Yumi said, her eyes narrowed just a bit.

"Stupid?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you want to kiss me?"

"Sei…" Yumi said feebly, her features softening.

Sei noticed the girl's ears were turning red. She leaned in closer—Yumi tensed and pressed even further back onto the wall, but this did not put Sei off; some girls played hard to get after all, and what was a Lillian graduate if she was not hard to get?—and whispered into Yumi's ear.

"You don't come into a grown woman's room at half twelve in the morning to tell bedtime stories, do you?"

"You're not grown," Yumi mumbled, "you're being such a kid right now."

Sei grinned. She looked at Yumi. Her eyes were shut and she was frowning a little. But a flush of pink started creeping its way across the younger woman's face. Sei brushed Yumi's cheek with her lips.

"You like me," Sei whispered.

Yumi made a noise and shook her head slightly.

"I don't," she murmured.

Sei took her left hand off the wall and stroked Yumi's loose brown hair with it. She then brought it to Yumi's face. She touched her.

"You like me," Sei repeated.

Yumi shook her head and answered, "I don't."

She dragged her lips roughly across Yumi's cheek, down to her neck, and she felt the girl tremble just a little.

"You like me," Sei breathed.

_If you don't do this, she never will and you'll both regret it for the rest of your lives._

Sei enjoyed it when she could agree wholesomely with her thoughts. She planted a kiss on Yumi's neck, feeling the skin radiate a pleasurable sort of warmth on her lips.

"I don't," Yumi whimpered.

Sei started sucking lightly on the flesh. She heard Yumi's breathing deepen.

_If you don't, then why haven't you slapped me away as yet?_

Sei brushed her tongue against Yumi's neck. She wanted to try nibbling on the girl a little, but she had to take it easy. She could not risk doing something that might scare Yumi out of it. She had to make sure—be absolutely certain—that Yumi wanted this too. Sei ran her kisses from Yumi's neck, along her jaw line and finally to that haven, Yumi's lips. Sei kissed her hungrily.

_No. No tongue. Not yet._

She kissed Yumi soundly on those small, pink lips as gently as she could manage, when really her body urged her to conquer the other's tongue and mouth with her own.

"You like me," Sei said huskily, as she continued kissing Yumi.

"I don't," Yumi gasped, reaching for Sei's lips whenever the contact was broken.

_And you're kissing me back?_

She took the other hand off the wall and held Yumi's face with it.

"You like me."

"I don't."

Yumi returned her kisses—and it almost amused Sei to think it—a little more fervently than Sei was giving them.

"You like me."

Sei's hands left the smaller woman's face and rounded her waist. Yumi responded this time by wrapping her arms around Sei's neck and pulling her closer.

_Do you think that's still a 'no'?_

"I don't," Yumi mumbled eventually, tightening her hold around Sei.

Sei figured they could debate that later. Right then, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

* * *

Yumi opened her mouth just slightly, and Sei took that as an opportunity to deepen their kiss.

_It feels…weird, _Yumi thought.

The rough flesh of a tongue on hers was a sensation she had never felt before, but as Sei continued to drive hers so agonisingly slow across Yumi's, the smaller woman was beginning to enjoy the pleasurable torture.

_So this is why Yoshino likes kissing so much. _

Yumi hardly had time to think of moving, so she was very glad when Sei guided her to the bed and got her to lie down. If she had not, Yumi got the feeling that she would have just crumpled into Sei's arms where they stood. And for a moment, as Sei hovered over her, going back to sucking on her neck, Yumi thought she was far luckier than the experienced Shimazu Yoshino was—Yumi had Satou Sei doing this to her. What man could ever compare to such a woman? None.

Sei's hands were, Yumi thought, trying to grab everything of Yumi that they could—her clothes, her hair, her breasts. Yumi gasped as Sei touched her chest through her clothes.

"Can't feel a thing," Sei muttered, after biting Yumi's bottom lip and tugging on it a little. "Effing A cup."

"Jerk," Yumi mumbled, grasping the older woman, drawing her nearer and causing Sei's fuller breasts to brush against hers as she mashed her mouth against Sei's.

"You want to take it off?" Sei pulled away and asked, already unbuttoning Yumi's shirt with hasty fingers.

_Well, she's no elegant Haruka. But I'm no graceful Michiru, am I?_

"Move," Yumi said, and Sei obliged.

"Yes, boss."

Yumi helped her out by getting rid of both her shirt and her bra.

"That's more like it," Sei said smiling, leading Yumi back onto the bed. "You always give it up this easy?"

"What about you?" Yumi asked, as Sei began kissing her chest.

"Only for you."

And Yumi's grip in Sei's hair tightened as Sei took a nipple into her mouth. Yumi felt a familiar sensation run through her body. The human nervous system was amazing—Yumi would give it that much. It was astounding that stimulus to one part of her body would travel to her brain and then set off a response at another part. So as Sei swirled around her nipple with that rough tongue, she tried to listen to her head and not cry out too loudly, as she felt in-between her legs get wet.

Sei was fiddling with the front of her jeans, and Yumi was about to ask her what she was doing when she felt it go slack and heard the zipper unzip. She felt Sei's hand touching her there—finding its way into her jeans and fingering her lightly through her underwear. Sei pulled her hand out, and Yumi was about to object when the hand found itself back inside her jeans, this time, also inside her panties. Sei had started kissing her mouth again. And Sei's hand, Yumi realised, was warm and strong. It stroked Yumi, teasing her, before a finger started pressing against that intimate spot and massaging her forcefully.

"Wait, wait," Yumi panted, breaking the kiss.

Sei's hand stopped moving.

"Why? Am I hurting you?"

"No, no. I'm not…I'm not ready for that yet," Yumi answered.

"Eh?"

"I don't want this now," Yumi tried to explain, despite her body's extremely angry objections to the ceasing of such agreeable actions.

"When do you want it, then?" Sei asked hoarsely. "You holding out until marriage or something?"

Yumi sighed as Sei went on her passion-induced tirade.

"Because I'll tell you—you're gonna be waiting a long bloody time. Unless you're planning to jump-fence or something."

Yumi took Sei's face in her hands and looked at her until the older woman calmed down.

"Hey. I'm not 'jumping' any fences. And…I don't want to wait long either. But…not now," Yumi said.

Sei opened her mouth to object, but Yumi shushed her, pressing a finger against the older woman's lips.

"Be nice."

Sei frowned but nodded. She extracted her hand from inside Yumi's clothes.

"Well, the mood's fucking dead," Sei said, laughing a little, getting off of Yumi.

"Don't curse," Yumi said, sitting up. "I just don't want the fond memories of my first time be in your _dorm room_. I'd rather we do it somewhere special."

"Oh my God," Sei laughed, running a hand through her short hair, "this from the girl who wouldn't kiss me like twenty minutes ago. I suppose putting your hands down people's pants is a world-changing event. I must inform the UN."

"Shut up," Yumi said, narrowing her eyes at the other woman.

"Here," Sei said getting off the bed, searching around the floor for Yumi's bra and then handing it back to her.

"Thanks."

"You know…" Sei began, but stopped.

"What is it?" Yumi asked, trying to untangle her bra from the knot it somehow found itself in.

_Shouldn't have flung it away…_

Yumi got off the bed, stood and put her bra back on, turning away from Sei. She heard Sei laugh.

"What are you doing?" Sei's voice asked, and Yumi did not miss the humour in her tones.

Yumi hooked the clasps together and responded, "I don't want you to look."

"Are you kidding me? Just now, I got more than a front-row seat to your b—"

"Yeah, yeah," Yumi cut her off. "You don't need to remind me. I was there."

"You're weird, you know that?"

Yumi fixed the straps comfortably on her shoulders. She looked down and realised her jeans were undone. She zipped back up her jeans and re-buttoned it.

"What were you going to say earlier?" Yumi asked, facing Sei and crossing her arms. "Before, when you had paused."

"That I'm just kind of glad right now," Sei said, smiling at her. "I knew this would be a good thing. I was a little worried though, in the bar."

"What do you mean?"

"I had to pick up the courage to get you to come here tonight. I didn't want to blow my chance. I figured 'Why should I ignore good fortune when it's practically shoving an opportunity into my hands?' I did that too many times back in high school. With you, I mean. You know that day you kissed me? I was gonna chase you and give you one right back. But I chickened out last minute. That's been bugging me…more than anything else. I would've hated myself if I did something like that again. Pass up a chance with you. I can be a little dense sometimes, but I try not to think that I'm a fucking idiot."

"Don't curse," Yumi said, sighing.

"Okay, fine. And here you go."

Yumi took her shirt from Sei's outstretched hand. As she slipped it on and started buttoning it up, Sei stole a kiss from her.

"I like this," Sei said softly, lips still pressed a little against Yumi's.

"I like it too," Yumi replied, kissing her back, arms and hands leaving her shirt and wrapping themselves around Sei's neck.

"I like touching you," Sei continued in between kisses, buttoning up the rest of Yumi's shirt for her, "I like kissing you. We can do this some more, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"There you go…all neatened up."

"Your shirt's a mess," Yumi said, moving an arm and touching Sei's clothes with her hand.

"It doesn't bother me—I just have to drop you back home, right?"

Yumi nodded.

"Hey, Yumi," Sei said, holding Yumi close to her.

"Yeah?"

"I want to see you again. Soon. You're going off to university, right? I won't be able to meet with you as much…"

"You're acting like I'm going to school abroad."

"Thing's are always moving faster than I think they are. I just don't want to blink and see that everything's gone. Stuff like that has happened to me too many times."

"I'm still here, Sei," Yumi assured her, feeling something strange in her midsection; an odd feeling akin to apprehension that she had only ever really felt during times spent with her grande soeur.

_Why am I thinking about Sachiko?_

"Want to celebrate?" Sei asked suddenly, letting her go.

"Huh?"

Sei went over to her desk. Yumi watched as Sei opened a drawer and pulled out a bottle.

"That's your great secret hiding place?!"

"I didn't say it was great or a secret," Sei justified, "I said it was 'hiding'. So, you want some?"

Yumi nodded.

_I shouldn't. There was that time…with the beer…_

"Yeah," she said, after all, there was something to celebrate.

* * *

**Making up with a kiss.**

_**She figured she should leave her alone for a while, but not for too long.**_

* * *

"What did you do to my sister?" Yuuki asked, his eyes wide.

"Yuuki, you want to talk a little louder? I don't think the whole of Tokyo heard as yet," Sei said.

Yuuki lowered his voice.

"Satou, what happened to Yumi? Tell me," Yuuki demanded.

Sei, for the most part, had always seen Yuuki as the pushover sort. So it made her happy to see him assert himself a little more. It did not make her happy to realise that she was the breaking point for the usually nonchalant young man.

"She had a little too much to drink," Sei explained. "Now come on. Help me get her upstairs. And…try not to make too much noise. We don't want to wake the older Fukuzawa family members, do we? What are _you _doing up?"

"Yumi left her phone home. Shimazu Yoshino called it around one, and I answered it. She asked if Yumi got home as yet or if she was still with you. So I've been waiting down here since then for Yumi to come home," Yuuki said, while wrapping one of Yumi's arms around his shoulders.

Yuuki helped her carry Yumi up to her room where they laid her on the bed. She was grumbling disjointedly, changing the topics of her rambling from having an awful headache to Sei's watch making too much noise. Sei sat on the edge of the bed, next to Yumi's feet, and started taking off Yumi's house slippers. Yuuki had left the bedroom, but he returned after a few minutes with a glass of water and some medicine.

"Did you give her anything for it?" he asked Sei.

Sei nodded and answered, "I got her something to help prevent getting any headaches and nausea…but she threw it all up along the way, ironically. That medicine's in a gutter, somewhere."

Yuuki kneeled down next to Yumi and shook her lightly.

"Yumi?" he asked gently.

"Too loud," Yumi said, blocking her ears.

"Sorry," he said, recoiling, "you have to take these. It'll make it hurt less. I promise."

Sei watched helplessly as he supported Yumi in sitting up. He gave her two tablets and Yumi took them feebly and popped them into her mouth. He held the glass to her mouth so she could drink them down.

"Drink down all the water," he urged.

"I don't want to," Yumi replied.

"You need to, now drink it," Yuuki said a little more forcefully.

Yumi obliged then went back to lying down when she was done.

"How much of what did she drink?" he suddenly asked, turning to Sei.

Sei frowned.

"Just sake, but not enough that it should get her in this state."

"Sake?" Yuuki asked. "You let my sister drink that? She can't even stomach half a beer, and you gave her _sake_?"

"Yuuki," Yumi mumbled, "Too loud."

Sei grimaced. Yumi did not tell her anything about a low alcohol tolerance.

_I guess we're celebrating many firsts tonight, eh Yumi? _

"Well, it's not like I've turned her into a dipsomaniac. After this, I don't think she'll ever touch a bottle again. Aren't you happy for that?"

"Happy, yeah" Yuuki muttered. "Sake…out of your mind to give her…"

"You're right," Sei said mordantly. "I might as well have injected sedatives and bleach straight into her arm."

"You might as well," Yuuki shot back, getting off the floor. "Yumi? I'll be back in a while. Now, I'm going to turn on the lamp, okay? I'll take off the bedroom light so it won't be so bright."

Sei sighed when he left, doing exactly as he said he would. She rubbed her temples. She did not expect to greet overprotective I'm-Gonna-Mess-You-Up-For-Messing-With-My-Sister little brother. She thought Yuuki might have understood a little. But then, Sei had no siblings and she supposed it was something she would never understand, no matter how many books there were she could try to read on the subject.

"Sei?"

Sei snapped out of her thoughts and answered, looking at Yumi as the dull orange light from the lamp filtered through the darkness of the room.

"Yeah, Yumi?"

"Don't let Yuuki get to you. It was my fault. I'm sorry for blaming you earlier in the car. I was feeling really nauseous. And your driving really stinks."

Sei smiled.

"Nah, I shouldn't have given you any."

"And I should have said something about not being able to drink."

"There's a first time for everything. Puking over alcohol—you got one down. Your virginity's next…although I shouldn't say that too loud…Vampire Hunter Yuuki might come back and run a stake through my heart…"

Yumi was quiet again, and Sei thought she was asleep until she spoke up once more.

"And Sei?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about tonight."

Sei looked at her watch. She had fixed the time back in the club, so she knew it read right. It was nearly three o' clock.

"You mean this morning."

"No stupid jokes, Sei."

"Okay, okay."

"But I'm sorry."

"For?"

"…What we did in your room."

Sei suppressed a grin.

"I'm not sorry. I'm glad we did it. Was I such a bad kisser?"

"It's not that!" Yumi argued groggily. "Never mind. Trying to explain…and you're making my headache get worse again."

"Sorry."

"Sei?"

"Yeah?"

"You wouldn't…even after tonight—"

"This morning," Sei corrected.

"—fine, _this morning_. Do you…still want to…with me, I mean…"

"You gotta be drunk and out of your mind right now."

"Uh…" Yumi groaned, "yeah…I think I am."

Sei touched Yumi's foot, squeezed around the ankle gently and said, "I told you already. I want to. I like it. So I'm going to take you out on a real date when you get better. And we'll pick up where we left off. How about that?"

"Okay," Yumi said so softly, Sei had hardly heard it.

Yuuki finally returned with a basin, a washcloth and a small green plastic bucket in his hands.

"Here," he said, handing Sei the cloth.

Sei watched him set the bucket on the floor near Yumi's head and placed the basin on the bedside table after shifting the lamp.

"Yumi?" he called.

"Mmm?"

"If you feel like throwing up again, there's a bucket right here, okay?" Yuuki explained quietly. "Is the medicine working?"

"Well, you stopped shouting so loudly."

"I guess it is, then," he said, and then turned to Sei. "Cloth."

Sei handed it to him. She watched as he dipped it into the basin—it was filled with water, apparently—and soaked it, wrung it dry and then proceeded to pat it down on Yumi's forehead.

"She's got a hangover, not a fever," Sei said.

"Yeah, well, my mother always does this whenever we're sick," he said, ignoring Sei and continuing to sponge Yumi's head and neck. "Yumi?"

"Yeah, Yuuki?"

"It's nearly three. I'm going to walk Sei to her car and then I'll come back, okay? Does it still hurt anywhere?"

Yumi mumbled her answer, stating a negative.

"I'll be back soon, I promise," he said, fixing the cloth over her forehead and then addressing Sei, "come on."

"Bye, Sei," Yumi said, drowsily.

"I'll see you soon, Yumi," said Sei.

They left the room, stopping in the hallway; Yuuki leaning against the doorframe and Sei standing next to him.

"I know it's not in my rights to say any of this, but I hope when Yumi gets better, she gives you one hell of a thrashing," Yuuki said, but Sei noticed, not malevolently.

"No worries, Fukuzawa Brother," Sei said saluting him, "I plan on letting her whale on me as soon as she can stand properly. So I take it I should go now, right?"

Yuuki nodded.

"I can't even roll out a sleeping bag and stay with her the night?"

Yuuki shook his head.

"I think you should leave Yumi to me," he said. "I'm her brother. And I don't see what more you can do."

"I sense that you're not too pleased with me."

He sighed before saying, "It's not completely your fault, I guess. I mean, it's not like you forced her to have any sake, right?"

"Well, she didn't notice when I slipped it into her glass."

"You did _what_?!"

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," Sei said, not realising that he was taking her seriously before, "she had it on her own accord."

"Yeah, you should go now."

"I guess. Don't want Fukuzawa Father to bring out the shotgun, do I?" Sei joked.

Yuuki smiled and answered, "That would be Fukuzawa Mother who'd do that. She doesn't let anyone mess around with her kids."

Sei nodded and patted him on the shoulder.

"Take care of her for me. Please. I know it's mostly my fault she's like this, and there's not much else I can do for her now that she's home. You seem to know what you're doing."

"She's my big sis," Yuuki said softly, his eyes looking back into the room. "I'm going to do my best. And, Sei?"

"Yes?"

"Did she…" Yuuki hesitated, "did my sister…did she at least have a good time tonight? Before, you know, _that_."

Sei paused.

"Would getting a shit-load of—"

_Can't say sexual tension._

"—emotional baggage off her chest count as 'a good time'?" she asked.

Yuuki frowned for a moment and then sighed. The corners of his mouth curved a little into a small smile.

"I think it could."

"Good," Sei said.

She noticed that he started frowning again.

"Yuuki?"

"She thinks she can carry this big world on her small back," he mumbled eventually. "I think getting even a little of that load off would have done her worlds. Hey…Sei?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for that."

"I didn't do much. You could thank the rice pickers for it. They got more to do with it than I did."

"But you helped, I guess. So I have to give you my thanks," he continued, crossing his arm., "Listen. As lame as it sounds; my sister means a lot to me. She's the second most important woman in my life, and she's always going to be in that position. There won't be another girl like her that I'll ever meet. I admire Yumi. There are not a lot of people I look up to, but she's one of them. She's my big sister. And I love her. So I take it you could understand…I take it you could understand how piss—_unhappy_—I get whenever I see my sister cry, or whenever I see her in pain. And I take it you could understand how _unhappy_ I'd be with the ones who ever hurt her."

Sei nodded; she was suddenly glad he was a pacifist.

"But you know, it sucks to be me, I'll say that," he said, sighing a little. "I can barely get Yumi to tell me what's really on her mind. She's the kind who would try to force a denial anytime she thinks she'd burden someone by answering truthfully to 'Yumi, are you all right?' I usually have to guess and wait until I see it all on her face. But she's getting better at controlling that a little, don't you think?"

Sei nodded.

Yuuki went on, "So as much as I want to throw you out of this house for bringing her home in this state, I want to show just as much gratitude to you. Of all the friends she has, I've only seen her really putting her faith in you. You've helped my sister a lot, Sei. A lot. More than Ogasawara Sachiko ever had. More than I ever have. And…I don't think you've hurt her. Not in a way that counts, anyway. I think you've done well handling her, actually."

"It's okay, Yuuki."

_That's the most I ever heard you speak._

Yuuki uncrossed his arms and started walking to the stairs. He turned and faced Sei who had remained stationary.

"You coming? Or will I really have to throw you out?" he asked.

Sei grinned.

"Yes, I'm coming, I'm coming."

"You better not ever do this again."

"Yeah, I gotcha."

At the door, Yuuki waited until Sei changed out of the guest slippers slip back on her shoes, and then exited to the front porch. It was still dark out, but Sei knew that in an hour or two, the whole side of her world would be seen in that dull blue-grey colour everything turned right before dawn. She would be able to see without light—one of Life's Great Mysteries. She was sure it could all be explained scientifically, but she preferred to think it became that way _just for nothing_. Yuuki followed her out to her car and waited until she opened the door and got in. Sei turned her glass down so she could speak to him. Or, so he could speak to her, for it looked like he still had quite a mouthful to give her.

"Sei?" Yuuki asked, his arms crossed once more as he looked down at her.

"Yeah?"

"There were red marks on Yumi's neck," he said so seriously, Sei had to hold back her laughter.

"Really?"

"It doesn't look like insect bites. And it doesn't look like allergies."

"Oh?"

"They sort of look like hickeys," he said gruffly.

"Uh huh," Sei said, trying not to gin too broadly. "About that…just tell her to wear something with a high collar tomorrow. Or maybe she could try putting some make-up over the particular areas. They're going to turn purple, I'm sure. She's already so pale."

Yuuki frowned, his eyebrows knitting together in irritation as best as they could for a face that usually spent most of its time looking either very detached or very nervous.

"I hate to be the one to ask this…and I can't believe I'm even asking it," he queried tentatively, "but I hope that the person who…did that…is someone Yumi could trust?"

"Except when it comes to chauffeuring," Sei said, winking as she added the last part, "Yumi trusts her."

Yuuki held his head and shook it.

"Eh," he grunted, "You…just go. Go before I lose my mind."

Sei chuckled.

"Drive safely."

"Maybe," said Sei. "And I'll try not to inebriate anybody else's sisters on my way back."

"Yeah," Yuuki said as he walked back to the door, but Sei still managed to hear the last part of his grumblings. "I really don't know what she sees in you."

* * *

Yumi awoke, feeling a dull pounding in her head.

_At least it's not as bad as before._

She tried to open her eyes, but part of her still wanted to keep them closed and have the rest of her body self-implode as well. With a lot of effort, Yumi managed to sit up. She made herself a little dizzy, but at least she was up. She opened her eyes—vision still blurred—and rubbed them a little. She looked around.

_So I wasn't dreaming, then._

She was in her room. She took it, then, that the previous night _did_ happen.

_Morning, _she corrected herself, remembering vaguely what Sei had said to her.

Yumi looked at her clock, trying to make out the numbers. It was six o' clock. She suddenly heard a noise, and she turned her attention to the foot of her bed. There was Yuuki, fast asleep on the floor, clutching a damp-looking cloth in his hand.

"Yuuki," Yumi murmured, feeling her chest tighten just a bit.

She looked around for the bucket. There was a little bit of water at the bottom, and Yumi hazily remembered vomiting at least once more. She felt unbelievably sorry for her brother. She got up, her legs feeling weak, and headed over to her bedroom window to open it and get some fresh air. She was glad it was still a little early—she would have passed out from pain had the morning sunrise got her. And as Yumi opened her windows, something on the ground level caught her eye.

_She didn't…_

Yumi watched the yellow Beetle that was parked in front of her driveway. She could not see very well, but she made out a figure slumped in the backseat of the car.

_Sei. _

Yumi went over to Yuuki, upset that she had to wake him up—but really, she could not have made the trip downstairs without injuring herself somehow—and shook him lightly.

"Yuuki," she whispered.

He awoke with a start, speaking incomprehensibly. When he saw it was Yumi, he got up properly.

"Yumi! You're up? Get back in bed. You want some more medicine? Are you okay?"

Yumi winced but spoke to him gently.

"Yuuki, could you do me a favour?" Yumi asked, figuring she owed him a lifetime of favours—what harm could one more do?

"Sure, anything," he answered, getting to his feet.

Yumi said, slowly, "Would you tell Sei that mum and dad are going to be up soon, and they won't appreciate her camping out in front of our house?"

Yuuki made a face.

"I thought I told her…" he began, before shaking his head. "You just go back to bed, okay? I'll go talk to her. But hold on, let me look at you."

He came closer to her, pulling down her bottom eyelids with his thumbs.

"Ow."

"Eh, still bloodshot," he muttered, "and you look pale."

She noticed his right eye twitched a bit when he glanced at her neck.

"Purple…" he said quietly to himself before letting her go and then speaking up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Yumi watched him leave, but instead of going back to her bed, she went back to the window. She watched down, watched as Yuuki came into her sight. He went up to the Beetle and started knocking on the window. After a few moments, he stepped back as the back door swung open and Sei stepped out, yawning and stretching. Yuuki seemed to be saying something crossly to Sei, but Yumi could not hear what it was. Sei waved him off and walked around the car to the right side. She opened the door and said something to Yuuki who responded, then turned and headed back inside the house.

_Sei._

Before Sei got inside the car though, she looked up to Yumi's window. Yumi's breath caught a little in her lungs. Sei waved at her and blew a kiss. Yumi waved, nodded her head, and left the window when Sei got in the car. Yumi went back to bed, because she was sure—for she heard him trudging up the stairs—that Yuuki would be irritated with her if she was not there.

_Sei._

Settling into bed, Yumi readied herself for some much needed rest.

* * *

**A/N**

**Shinai – a wooden sword used for kendo, correct me if I'm wrong. **

**Ten percent – the 'stats' that say ten percent of every population are homosexual. **

**Tenoh Haruka –Sailor Uranus from Sailor Moon a.k.a. the Gay One, goes by the alias 'the Gay One'. She used to take girlfriend/fellow Sailor out for a drives along the beach in her spare time.**

**Great Wall – you know, the Great Wall of Normandy. Or was it China…who knows?**

**Writing a name – of course, Yumi's name would be in kanji. There are particular characters used for her name. The man at the bar was asking that Yumi show him the symbols she uses. Think of it as bad as someone asking 'What's your sign?'**

**Ogasawara…that second year girl – Sachiko has chosen to attend Lillian University (light novel info) however I don't know if she will go there or not. According to my fic, she's spent a whole year there already.**

**Lily – Sapphic symbol (DUH)**

**Pocky – Japanese snack.**

**Michiru – Kaioh Michiru from Sailor Moon (Sailor Neptune) otherwise known as the Girlfriend to the Gay One. I figure it's not odd for Yumi to refer to them. They are, after all, **_**the**_** Icons of yuri. Imagine being a closet-case in Japan, and you see two women in a romantic relationship portrayed as strong, important characters in an extremely popular anime. It makes one smile, does it not?**

**Jumping-fence – turning heterosexual, in this case.**

**Slippers – it's very important not to drag in your street shoes into a Japanese house and some buildings. You change into slippers at the door.**

**Vampire Hunter Yuuki – blatant reference to Vampire Hunter D.**

**Rice pickers – sake is made from rice. Sei was referring to the alcohol. **

**Right side of the car – driver's side of the car in Japan.**

**Situations that I should explain:**

**Yumi's hesitation to kiss Sei despite her prior willingness – Yumi, at that point, believes that Sei is simply taking a prank too far. She had to be really sure Sei wasn't yanking her chain before submitting to her advances.**

**Sei's comments on Yumi's, er, 'assets' – they're pretty comfortable with one another, and I was trying to show that. Yumi knows not to take Sei's inopportune comments seriously and Sei herself does not mean them. **

**Yumi's Blue-Balling – you can take the girl out of Lillian…**

**Also, if you think Yumi was a bit too chatty for someone drunk and sick, you need to meet my friends and me. And if you think Yumi is a little too forceful in this fic, I justify: she's an ex-Rosa Chinensis. Have you ever heard of a stuttering, bumbling, juvenile Rosa? She grows up, people. As for Sei, when she isn't being calm and aloof, she's a bit of a spitfire, don't you think? When she's passionate about something, she really goes off on a tangent with it: kissing girls in the chapel, trying to run away, nearly slapping fellow Yamayurikai members, to name some incidents. I tried playing around with both aspects of her personality. So I hope you don't think both of them were being OOC. **

**Trend in my writing: bars. I have a thing for them. It's the one place you get people being candid and deceitful simultaneously. I've heard some of the worse truths and best lies on a barstool. I blame it on the peanuts. **

**Sigh. All I did was manage to turn this into another Sei x Yumi love affair. I need to stop shipping them and support the canon relationships. **

**Wait, did I just say 'canon relationships' and refer to Marimite at the same time?**

**Anyhow, love it? Hate it? Indifferent to it? Drop me a review; I very much appreciate feedback.  
**


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